


Dynamic

by Greensword101



Category: Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Childhood Trauma, Crime Fighting, For Want of a Nail, Friendship, Loneliness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-07
Updated: 2017-01-19
Packaged: 2018-09-07 04:41:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8783557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greensword101/pseuds/Greensword101
Summary: Six months ago, an idea was born and now became a team consisting of...The poster boy of superheroes and last of the planet, Krypton.An Amazon Princess with a kind heart but a superiority complex towards the male gender.An alien from Mars still reeling in the loss of his family and struggling to hold onto his new one.A gruff, former Marine with arguably one of the strongest weapons in the universe who finds himself the only sane man on the team.A man as fast as a lightning bolt but the maturity of a child at times.A woman with the wings of an angel but a past that still hides in the shadows.A grim detective who would rather trust the wind with his secrets than the people he works with...and Robin: A young boy whom the detective claims is his son?Why is a boy named Robin in the Justice League? Although he instantaneously gains the Flash's respect, the other heroes are still doubtful (and borderline objecting) about the boy, including Batman himself.Along the way, the people he meets, the people that the Justice League will meet as a result, be friend or foe, will alter each and everyone of them forever...





	1. Prologue: Intruder?

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story I have been working on at fanfiction dot net. After much deliberation and difficulties trying to get my work onto documents that don't expire, I now have a way to publish this story with the ability to fix and adjust when needed. This started off as an idea for another Robin origin story called "The Beginning" I read that I felt could have been handled better with one scene in particular.
> 
> I asked the author for permission to play with the idea and found myself with a different idea that essentially is re-writing the DC Animated Universe...wow.
> 
> It's also based off of the premise of Robin meeting the Justice League and automatically becoming everyone's favorite kid. While endearing, I think that cliche should have more realistic consequences, like what if Robin was more than just the cute kid who hung out at the Watchtower.
> 
> So what I have now is a story that is still trying to grow despite interruptions in my daily life, keeping me busy. As well as plenty of shout-outs to numerous movies and books. Hopefully, this will change. 
> 
> Enjoy!

"I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why."  
Lennie Small. Of Mice and Men.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
He should have stayed at home...

Their feet landed softly on the steel floor beneath them, making no sound at all, as if the two figures didn't exist at all. The first figure was tall by more than six feet, wearing a dark cape that draped down past their ankles, also concealing most of their body from view. 

Their companion stood several feet behind them; at least four feet tall, their face hidden by a gray hood attached to an equally dark cape. The taller figure stopped in front of a door and placed a hand on the wall right next to it, resulting in a section of the white-stained wall sliding down to reveal a keyboard. He typed in the numbers: 1-9-3-9, automatically making the door slide open. Stepping in, the taller figure gestured to their smaller companion to come inside.

The room was completely empty, save for a bed and a large monitor. The walls were lined with titanium and lead in-between. Even the floor was bare, cold to the touch. Light briefly filled the room before being almost consumed once more by the empty void of darkness as the smaller figure barely entered the room in time. The taller figure reached into their belt and pulled out what looked like a remote. 

The tall figure clicked a button and the monitor before the two figures flashed into life. It would be assumed to be a he, although their face was largely concealed by a cowl that resembled that of a bat's head with long, pointy ears that gave the idea of being sharp and dangerous. Even his eyes appearing as nothing but white slits.

What little face that was seen in the blinding light of the monitor were the lips, which were a pale pink, and the chin, which was covered with stubble. The rest of the figure's attire was concealed by the cape, but every now and again, you could see a gray leotard with black tights around the groin with a symbol on the chest which also resembled that of a bat.

The figure heard the bed squeak from added weight and sighed. The smaller figure was barely seen in the darkness, but it was clearly a boy. His face was covered with a much simpler mask, one that covered his eyes and made them appear to be white, giving an impression of a raccoon. The man only saw the boy's face for a moment before the lad noticed he was being looked at and turned away.

"Robin." The man began in a gravely voice, like one who hadn't tasted water in days and reminded you of sandpaper. "We can leave any time you want to. We can head back and-"

"And what?" The boy called Robin muttered quietly, his voice was squeaky, like a mouse, and difficult to hear. "We can head back and what? Forget that this all ever happened? 

Ignore each other for the next two years?" With each question, however, Robin's voice grew stronger and louder, switching from a squeaky mouse to what may have sounded like a tough teenager voice.

"That wasn't what I meant." The man replied harshly. What little that was seen of Robin flinched at the voice. The man seemed to have noticed this and spoke a little softer now. "I meant that we could wait a while longer before jumping the gun on the others." The man walked over to the bed and sat down. He barely raised his arm, as if to wrap around Robin's shoulder, before he stopped himself and let his arm fall back onto the bed.

"But this was your idea."

"You should know by now that I can make some rash decisions sometimes."

Robin looked up at his companion, his eyes widening to the size of a barn owl. The older man looked down at the boy blankly, either unimpressed or not amused with Robin's look. When this continued for another minute, the man cleared his throat, making the boy blink with surprise, startled by the unexpected sound.

"Do you still want to do this?" The man asked Robin in that slightly softer voice.

"Yes."

"Yes what?" The man questioned in a tone that demanded complete obedience, unaware of the involuntary flinch coming from Robin.

"Yes sir." Robin gritted out, as if he was just being asked to eat a disgusting vegetable. "Am I supposed to just walk in there and say 'Hi, my name's Robin and I work with-"

"You wait for my signal, like we talked about." The man interjected. "And do you remember what the signal is?"

"Three beeps, then five, and then two more from my utility belt." Robin held up what appeared to be a wristwatch on his hand and mimed typing with his other hand, the code etched into his mind by heart. His next response implied uncertainty, almost as if there weren't anything else after the pre-mentioned signal. "And then I just waltz in there and-"

"Show no fear." 

The man stood up abruptly, his voice giving no room for argument. "We're already going to get into a lot of trouble by doing this, and we can't make it worse by having you come off as a spoiled brat."

"I never said I was spoiled!" Robin gaped in shock. "And who ever said that I was?"

"Just wait here and don't leave the room or give your position away, alright?" The man ignored Robin's indignant protests as he got up from the bed. Right as he was about to walk out of the room, he stopped and turned around. His tone suggested that his final words were more of an afterthought. "Oh, and in case you get bored, feel free to use the monitor. I've uploaded Stardust onto it and there's a controller behind the screen. Just press the center button on the controller to get the game set up. I...thought you might like it." 

And with that, the man walked out and closed the door behind him.

As Robin got off of the bed and started looking behind the monitor screen for the controller, all the while muttering. "Whatever you say...Batman."

This was going to be a long day.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Space. 

In a word, it can be defined as eternal. To Martian Manhunter, it could be defined as emptiness. He looked down at his emerald-green skin, his hands resembling those of humans except longer and thicker-looking. How long was it since he felt the warmth of his beloved's hands against his? Or from one of his darling children? As he looked out a window in the giant space station better known as the Watchtower, so many thoughts appear with each sight that the darkness of space holds. So many months have passed already, and yet the ache in J'onn J'onnz's heart had not lessened one bit.

He missed his family, his friends, his home. Never again could he hold his children in his arms, feel his beloved's lips against his, spend the rest of his days living a normal life outside of fighting. Now the Justice League was his life, his present and future. 

There was nothing for him to look forward to aside from combating threats upon the Earth that most people aren't able to handle. J'onn never enjoyed violence, he preferred to mend wounds instead of creating more. This was not what a medic should be doing, but Superman once told J'onn that the world wouldn't be willing to accept the poor man should he live among them. Despite the cheers that J'onn would hear from people as he flew above them like an angel, Superman made it look like that those who cheered were merely putting on an act.

It made sense as well from what J'onn had experienced firsthand. How younger children would be pulled away from him by their parents, hostility radiating off of them like heat. 

Older children would often mimic the actions of the adults around them, going so far as to start throwing rocks, glass, cans, and whatever else they could find.  
He had once heard of a mirror from a conversation between a mother and her little girl as J'onn drifted in the dark of the night. He was outside their window when he heard the mother speak of it, how the mirror would show one's innermost desires to the one standing in front of it. The concept interested him, and so J'onn pressed his body against the brick wall of the building the mother and daughter were in, allowing his skin to become the same color as the stone he was pressing against.

The mirror was from a story, where a boy, an orphan, looked into it and saw his entire family standing before him. Someone explained to the orphan how the mirror could drive people mad from what they saw. Perhaps J'onn was one of those people. 

How he longed to find a mirror like that, not just his family but the rest of his brethren as well. But as J'onn J'onzz looked at what little reflection he saw in the clear glass, all he could see right now was his own reflection; his emerald-green skin, his ruby-red eyes that somehow radiated so much life - at least, according to one of the younger-if not the youngest-members, the Flash - and his blue cloak with a red X over his "bare" chest with what Batman calls "blue tighty whities that would make people blush," whatever that meant.

This was just one of those times where J'onn wished he had never left Mars, that he should have died in flames along with the rest of his people. He still woke up sometimes holding his family closely as the fire licked at their skin, burning them all alive.

Those were the good dreams.

"Are you alright?"

J'onn turned around to see the worried face of Diana, another member of the Justice League. Standing around five feet and nine inches tall, everything about her screamed perfection. Her breastplate had the crest of a pale gold eagle stretched across the front, and was mainly ruby-red. The lower part of her armor was blue and covered with white stars. 

And her golden tiara that adorned her head went well with the silky, dark hair that fell down her shoulders. Her skin was so olive, it was almost golden. And her eyes, those pale blue eyes that were so soft you could cry from joy. Then J'onn thought of My'ria'h and imagined his throat dry in order to prevent it from moistening further.  
The silence was almost deafening when J'onn broke it, his eyes closed in an attempt to hide how hot his eyes had become. He just wanted to be alone right now, he didn't want the others to see his weakness.

"How long has it been since we've met one another?"

"Six months, three weeks, five days-" Diana paused for a moment. "And at least twelve hours. Why do you ask?"

"It often feels longer." J'onn sighed. "Sometimes...I wish I were no longer alive. My wife...my children. They're gone and I'm still living...it doesn't seem right. Why couldn't I have died alongside with them?" The mere mention of his family brought up unbidden memories. The sound of his beloved whispering in his ear felt too real, the firm pressure of his children against his arms couldn't be an illusion. Tears flowed from his closed eyes, hot streams staining his face until a gentle hand cut off the flow of sadness. It felt cool to the touch..."cool as cucumber?"...was that the phrase that Flash used last week?

"Don't say that, J'onn," Diana sounded so close to him right now, he felt his mouth beginning to water again. "Never dwell on the past, it does no good."

"I appreciate your concern Diana," J'onn turned away from the woman, unable to look at her properly. He swallowed, trying to rid his mouth of the excess saliva. "But this is something that you wouldn't-"

"Understand?" Diana cut the Martian off and walked into his line of sight to show a small glare, not a harsh one like Batman would, but a disappointed one nonetheless. J'onn felt his chest grow heavy with apprehension. Diana continued, "You are not the only outsider, J'onn. I was certain Superman reminded you of that. As did I."

That was true. Diana left the Amazon island of Themyscira around the same time J'onn was discovered on Earth. He didn't ask the princess about her home, it didn't seem right. Nor did she feel comfortable bringing it up at all during conversations unless it were to support the arguments she had with the mysterious Hawkgirl. And Superman wasn't known as the Last Son of Krypton for nothing. But J'onn was certain that the male hero never felt alone, he must have had parents on Earth that loved him dearly if the Man of Steel could act so positive most of the time.

"Forgive me, Diana." J'onn lowered his gaze. "I forgot."

"You're here for a reason," Diana continued gently. "Just remember, we're here for you, J'onn, no matter what."

The Amazon proceeded to take one of the Martian's hands and hold it with both of her own. That same coolness J'onn felt against his cheek spread through his fingers from the simple contact, making his hands less heated. He welcomed that feeling, it reminded him of home. J'onn responded by placing his other hand over Diana's, with a small smile barely covering his face, appreciating the kind gesture. But on the inside, J'onn feels that Diana in all of her wisdom and wonder-not a play on the name the media gave her a few months ago, Wonder Woman-would never understand J'onn's pain the way he understands it.

You're here for a reason. Hah. A darker corner within J'onn's mind wanted to throw Diana's comment back in her face in spite. 

She didn't watch her family die. She didn't watch her entire home go up in flames for centuries until something inside snapped and made her go to war with those parasitic monsters. She isn't the last of her kind, wasn't greeted by hostile humans who would capture and torture her for the sake of "science". He was the one who went through the darkest pains of Hell itself.

How he still curses the gods of Mars for whatever joke they are playing with him. What reason would it be aside to give J'onn witnesses to his failing sanity?

The sound of metal doors sliding open snapped J'onn out of his pessimistic thoughts. Without thinking, he withdrew his hands from Diana's, unable to understand his discomfort with other people seeing them like this. Entering the room was John Stewart, also known as Green Lantern, his usual attire of greens and blacks with a lantern-shaped symbol on his chest being covered by great amounts of chocolate syrup and ice chunks slowly dripping down his uniform. The chocolate-brown skin that wasn't covered with ice cream looked puce with rage from what J'onn could sense. It wasn't murderous, never like that for the most part, merely...irritated.

Behind him was Hawkgirl, the only other female on the team. Her name was rather literal, with a helmet that resembled the head of a hawk, with light red hair that curled down to her neck. Even her eyes bore the same golden color of hawks from what J'onn had seen of those creatures so far on Earth. A yellow sleeveless tunic with dark green leggings. What made her stand out the most was the large wings that stretched out on either side of her, and a mace the size of a short sword was tucked away in the belt on her hip.

In Hawkgirl's hands appeared to be a wide glass with a straw, and also didn't seem bothered by the melting ice cream in her hair and helmet. Last one behind them was Flash, dressed in a bright red suit similar to a body-suit with yellow lightning bolts on either side of his head and on the center of his chest, licking chocolate syrup from his fingers with delight. He always seemed to have a reason to smile, not even Batman frightened him that well.

On the outside at least. J'onn could always feel the fear radiating off of Flash in a similar fashion to those hostile to him. He never asked the man how he hid it so well to everyone else though. For some odd reason, he didn't even feel comfortable going in the young man's mind, even if it was to merely contact him via telepathy.

"I don't care how good your milkshakes are, Flash!" John barked with his head turned towards the Speedster, "If you forget to put the lid on the mixer again after pouring a carton full of ice cream in it, then you won't be just red. You'll be black and blue too!"

Flash didn't seem to be listening to the Marine. He merely gave a dramatic pose and spoke in a pathetic French accent, clearing using his 'I don't give a shit but I think this was funny' voice.

"Zat iz the price ve must pay for 'ur aut!"

"That wasn't art," John retorted to his companion while Hawkgirl snorted at Flash's retort. "That was disgusting and inconsiderate!"

"You're just upset that I dropped your frappe by accident. You should have seen the look on your face." Flash grinned widely as if recalling the Green Lantern's reaction at the time. 

"And if there's anyone who should be complaining right now, it's the woman who wields the electric mace."

"You're just lucky this tastes so good." Hawkgirl commented with a frown in-between sips, though her lips curved slightly in what J'onn suspects is supposed to be for Flash's eyes only. He never felt comfortable prying into Hawkgirl's mind either, taking her refusal to take off that helmet of hers as a sign of vulnerability.

"Having a little trouble in the kitchen?" Diana smirked at her messy colleagues.

John merely pointed at Flash for an answer. Hawkgirl simply kept on drinking her frappe with content. Flash blushed with embarrassment and continued licking the chocolate sauce off of his fingers. J'onn felt his lips curl ever so slightly at this. At least there were some perks to living on Earth. It was just one of those days where he thought those simple words.

"Did you make one for Batman?" Diana asked to no one in general. It was obviously not the case, Batman hardly showed up at the Watchtower to begin with...let alone, interact with the others save for Superman. J'onn knew that Diana hoped that the grim hero would actually begin to interact more frequently though small matters, even if he didn't open his mouth. She always seemed curious about Batman, radiating feelings J'onn felt too embarrassed to bring up. The irony was that Diana herself didn't understand what she was feeling, possibly because they were...unknown to her.

"I thought he wasn't here." Hawkgirl shrugged. "And if he was, he'd probably stay inside of that room of his with the doors closed."

"Weird." Flash frowned, pondering at those words. "The door was open and I heard voices in there and..." He stopped speaking altogether as the other heroes looked at him suspiciously. This did not look good. J'onn prayed that whatever they were about to hear wasn't that important.

"What voices?"

"I...dunno." Flash replied hopelessly, showing visible signs of discomfort from the intense attention that he was now receiving. J'onn felt a pang of sympathy for the man, the times that he acted absent-minded always seemed to have a negative backlash. "Different?"

Hawkgirl reached for her mace, John held up his right fist that wielded an emerald ring on the third finger, Diana's eyes darted as if expecting an attack while Flash simply shifted uncomfortably in his place. J'onn had to put his foot down before something was broken...again.

"Before anyone panics, let me check the security system." He replied calmly as he walked up to the main computer. "Batman could merely be communicating with someone back in Gotham."

"Like a Batwoman?" Flash suggested sarcastically.

"..."

"Sounded high-pitched to me..." The young man added pathetically .

Several moments passed tensely as J'onn's frown deepened and deepened as he looked through each of the cameras. He scanned each one, seeing no signs of any interference with them. Though none of them were even remotely close to the room that Batman always resided in...

"No security systems have been breached." J'onn concluded. "Though it would be best to start investigating Batman's room just in case. But proceed with-"  
Before he even finished his sentence, a gust of wind blew over him as Flash dashed into the hallway.

"-caution." J'onn finished slowly.

"Let's go after him before he hurts himself," John sighed as his body was suddenly encased in a thin green aura as the ring on his hand glowed, lifting him several inches off of the ground. Hawkgirl flapped her large wings a few times before her feet also left the ground as well. Both comrades pressed their arms together and dove out of sight into the same hallway that the Flash dashed into.  
"I'll call Superman on the way." Diana said as she too started floating in the air, though the way she held herself in the air was more angelic than the militaristic styles from John and Hawkgirl. Right before she flew out of the room, Diana called back. "You should call Batman first before catching up with us."

J'onn pressed his ear to activate his communicator, inwardly groaning at the task he would have to do. Of all of the people he had to deal with, Batman clearly avoided contact with everyone else for a reason. So any attempts to reach out to the man were met with very mixed results.

Mostly negative.

"Batman." J'onn kept his voice level, anticipating that hostile voice of his comrade's. "Where are you?"

"In the gym." Batman's gruff voice came in slightly disheveled, as if he were caught in a compromising position. An image of Diana came unbidden into J'onn's mind again, requiring great sense of will from the Martian to banish the thought. Why was he thinking about his friend all of a sudden? "What is it?"

J'onn sent a silent prayer to the gods to help him handle whatever reaction he was about to have with his grim colleague. "We believe that there might be an intruder on board the Watchtower..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Flash wasn't surprised when he reached the destination first - slowpokes! - noticing that the door to Batman's room was still left ajar. Though the flashing lights and the sounds of explosions were new. This was a first for the young man; he never got close enough to even touch the door to Batman's room, let alone, see it. 

The Speedster was expecting to see Batman's computer doing some analy-whatever it did while the Caped Crusader was gone. When he entered, however, he was not expecting to see the computer screen showing a video game in use. Especially one that reminded him of a game he has on his Playstation 3. There was a ship that appeared to be circling a planet while destroying any asteroid or weird centipede-looking creatures.

Definitely a game he had on his PS3...

But the one thing that made Flash's eyes widen the most was a someone sitting sideways in Batman'schair. A groan came from the figure in the chair in the same high-pitched voice that the Speedster heard earlier. Was it a kid? If so, then how did a kid get in here?!

It was obviously a boy sitting there, completely oblivious to the hero that walked into the room. The combination of the dim lighting and the blaring screen made it almost impossible for Flash to see anything else.

"Come on, just one more ship." The boy muttered under his breath, frustration seeping from his voice. "No, no, don't hit me you stupid alien! Aww, come on! Huh, new high score..."

Flash zoomed in front of the kid and snatched the controller out of his hand before he could react.

"Sorry. Game over, kid." the Flash teased. He got a good look of the intruder now; a black cape with a yellow underbelly was covering the boy's back, dark green gloves covered his hands, heavy-looking camo boots decorated his feet, dark-gray pants with a red tunic were also a part of the outfit, a domino mask concealed his eyes, and the strangest thing a part of the getup was a yellow R crest over the place where his heart would be. And he didn't look older than eight or nine. What was going on here?

The costumed boy blinked twice at Flash as if confused. Flash also stared at the boy, trying to see who would break contact first. For some odd reason, he felt like he was being probed by that boy's stare, like he were an animal choosing the best course of action to attack its prey.

"Was that a joke?" The boy finally asked. "Or were you thinking I'd give you a turn?" Right as he said this, the boy chuckled at his own little joke.

"That wasn't a joke." Flash kept his voice calm, not wishing to frighten the kid. He most certainly did want a turn, but not in the room of the most frightening man that he ever had the misfortune of knowing.

"If that's the case, then I got a good joke for you. Knock-knock."

Flash frowned. "This isn't the time for-"

"Knock. Knock." The boy repeated impatiently.

"Who's there?" Flash sighed.

"Interrupting hero." The boy replied with a growing grin on his face.

Flash was so annoyed that he didn't suspect a thing as he said. "Interrupting hero wh-?"

The boy snatched the controller out of the Speedster's grasp while he talked and continued playing his game as if the conversation never happened. Flash mentally kicked himself for walking into that joke. So much for being the fastest...

"Excuse me? I'm talking to you." Flash spoke louder this time but the boy continued ignoring him. He stepped in front of the screen. "You know who I am?"

"Blocking my view?"

"That's not what I was talk-"

"Flash, the least you could have done was wait for us before barging in here!" Flash turned around to see John in the doorway, his large frame blocking most of the light from coming in. He scowled at his younger colleague with frustration for several moments before turning his attention to the boy in Batman's chair, clearly directing his attention back at the screen once more. John's eyes widened, and he rubbed them for a few moments as if to ensure that he was seeing things properly. The shock must have still engulfed him, since the next words to come out of John's mouth were-

"What are you and who are you doing?"

The boy broke down into a fit of giggles at the comment, and even the Flash joined in despite himself. It was just too much for him at the moment. Not exactly the best question to be asking a kid. John blushed when he realized what he just said and glared at the Speedster now. "Oh grow up! You know what I meant!"

"Yeah." Flash smirked. "But maybe the kid doesn't know. Maybe you should have tried something more on the lines of-"

"So anyways, how's your sex life?" The boy piped in, his voice taking on an odd accent as he did this. John's right eyebrow twitched at the comment.

"Like that!" Flash broke down into further laughter before he felt a hard whack on the top of his head. Instinct lead to Flash rubbing his head, trying to ease the pain now residing.

"Don't encourage the kid!" John withdrew his hand before turning his attention to the boy again. But Flash had barely heard what John had said just now...he just suppressed any further laughter and tried to keep his eyes on the kid, who now had John slowly advancing on him.

"You're in big trouble, young man!" John growled he reached out to grab a hold of the boy. The boy slapped the hand away and jumped off the chair. The look of mirth was now replaced with a glare that Batman would have been jealous of.

"You're not the boss of me!" The boy snapped. John tried grabbing him again, but the boy ducked underneath the older man and threw a punch at him. John was sent flying several feet across the room, landing on his stomach. Flash stared with shock, already beginning to question if their unexpected guest had a death wish.

John groaned as he pulled himself off the ground before firing a green net from his ring, but the boy merely took off his cape and used the underbelly as a shield, neutralizing the green ring's powers. Flash felt a pang of sympathy for his older colleague, that ring of his was always neutralized by the color yellow. The boy pulled out a small metal rod that became a staff when he pressed a button on it and charged towards the Green Lantern before him. He twirled it like a baton before striking Green Lantern over the head with it, the blow being blocked by a green barrier that the Marine managed to produce out of his ring.

Flash lunged over and attempted to catch him, but the kid somehow dodged that too and countered with a strong kick to the stomach. Pain spread throughout Flash's torso, but he dealt with worse before. He merely smirked, trying his best to hide the pain. He refused to give someone the satisfaction of hurting him.

"Guess you aren't as weak as you look."

"Guess you aren't as fast as you look either." The boy remarked, a smirk spreading across his face as well. He then started to run out of the room, with the Flash and John trying to keep up. Flash assumed that with his speed, there would be no problem when it came to capturing. He was now finding his ideal outlook being challenged by some random kid dressed like a vigilante who seemed to have everything but the sink inside of that belt of his. Each time Flash or John got even remotely close, the boy merely threw small explosives and even marbles at them to trip them up.

Flash ended up falling victim to an unexpected spillage of marbles, his speed quickly becoming his downfall. He wasn't able to stop, the glass beads underneath him reduced traction and therefore, control. He prayed that he would quickly regain traction again only to see that the hallway they were all running in had a turn up ahead. 

A sharp turn.

Flash brought up his hands and started spinning in a circular manner, hoping that he could create enough wind to push him away from the oncoming wall. He found himself becoming disappointed when he realized that he was going too fast and merely brought his hands to his face in a useless effort to protect himself. As the wind was knocked out of him from the collision, Flash silently wondered how the others were going to handle the boy, his vision fading to black...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Robin struggled to hold down his giggles, he was that nervous and excited at the same time. He couldn't remember the last time he had this much fun from simply running. Well, running and throwing stuff at the people chasing him. It brought up good memories. The sound of a body colliding into a wall made Robin almost come to a complete halt. He wasn't trying to get someone that hurt; he was just bored. Maybe he should go back and check up on-

"Flash! You okay?"

"Give...a few seconds...I'll be alright..." The second voice, Flash's, sounded a little groggy at the moment. Robin felt his face grow warm with guilt, he didn't mean for that to happen...he should go back and apologize-

"When I get my hands on that kid, he's going to pay for this!"

Then again...maybe not...

Robin kept on running, picking up speed when he started to feel the Green Lantern's nostrils flare close by. A second sound followed close by, resembling the sound of a jet plane, confirming that the Flash had made true to recovering quickly. Didn't Batman say something about a fast healing rate? He reached into his utility belt when he saw a tall woman with wings fly in, Hawkgirl, followed by another woman that he was all too familiar with based on those images that he saw Batman looking at back at the cave during those times he managed to avoid being detected. Wonder Woman. Princess of the Amazons. 

And apparently just as pissed off as that Green Lantern.

Maybe that's her normal face?

Just as he saw that ferocious look upon the woman's face, Wonder Woman's expression started to falter. As if she was actually paying attention to who was standing right in front of her. Hawkgirl flapped her large wings out in front of her as she mimicked her companion's expression. For several moments, Robin could feel time slow down as both sides tried to stare the other one down. Or to be more precise, Robin was the one trying to stare down the two women who seemed to be looking through him.

"Don't let his size trick you! He's tougher than he looks!"

Robin looked over his shoulder to see the Green Lantern soaring in the air, his body shrouded by a green aura. As he turned around in preparation for a retreat, he noticed Hawkgirl swooping in with her mace raised. Or to be more precise, he saw Hawkgirl swooping in with her electrified mace raised, the electricity cackling brightly. Right as she was about to strike, Robin jumped and pushed off of the woman's shoulders with his hands to gain more momentum, and then rounded it off with a roundhouse kick. As Hawkgirl crumbled to the ground, Robin proceeded to dance around on one foot, now experiencing the hard way that the helmet on that woman's head was hard.

"I'm pretty sure John meant to stop him, not crush him." Flash's voice piped up now, his tone sounding a little like a teacher reprimanding a student for bad behavior.

Hawkgirl groaned. "If a former Marine says not to be deceived, I'm certain you're supposed to listen."

"He's a kid!"

Robin ducked underneath a punch that Wonder Woman threw at him, clearly not comprehending what Flash was trying to say or simply didn't care enough to listen. As he grabbed his opponent's wrist with one hand and delivered a perfect punch with the other, Robin tried to recall what those files Batman made him read said about Wonder Woman. Wasn't there somewhere on the file that stated that Wonder Woman was a little punch-happy? As he saw a thin, but sturdy looking arm intercept his blow briefly before a fist obscured his vision making Robin duck again, he made a mental note never to get on her bad side if they ever met again. Ever.

He back-flipped several times to give himself some distance, not taking note of the fact that Wonder Woman seemed to have stopped attacking altogether. Suddenly, he felt another presence, almost like there was a ghost in the room. Minus the visible breath part.

It felt like it was getting closer as the Green Lantern fired a thick beam made of the same green aura surrounding him towards Robin from the small ring attached to him. Recalling that yellow somehow counteracted the effects of the ring, Robin removed his cape and flipped it so that the yellow underbelly was facing the Green Lantern, acting as a makeshift shield. But instead of going for another angle, the Lantern man just seemed to continue pressing forward with his attack. As the eerie presence grew stronger, Robin realized what the source was and smiled.

"No offense, but the whole 'distracting the enemy while your friend does a sneak attack from behind' thing isnot original. Nice try though, um...Martian Manhunter? Is that right?"

The green glow of the beam faded, allowing Robin to turn around just in time to see a tall, green figure materialize seemingly out of nowhere. Martian Manhunter. He probably didn't expect someone to detect him, judging the look on his face. That turned out to be a mistake however, when Robin took advantage of his dazed confusion to leap over the Martian and pushed off of the man, knocking him off balance as a result.

But before he could even run two steps, he felt something wind itself around his waist before tightening, pinning his arms together and making him lose his balance. Robin looked down to see what was binding him and noticed the thin, golden rope. He looked up to see Wonder Woman holding up the other end of the rope with a triumphant smirk on her face. She proceeded to walk over and use the rest of her simple rope to tie his hands behind his back and locked his ankles together for a good measure.

No matter, he could get out of these types of knots before, why should this be different? He tried to shift his weight, trying to find a place where the knot would be weaker around his torso. When that didn't work, he tried to get his hands from out behind him in the hopes of being able to work on his wrists more easily. Robin frowned. The rope was thin, but it just felt...tight.

No matter how hard he struggled against the bindings, he couldn't break free. A sense of panic washed over him. He shouldn't be stuck like this! He was supposed to know how to get out of every situation. He couldn't even reach for his utility belt that Wonder Woman was just so wise to leave on his person. As Robin squirmed ever more frantically at the rope binding him, he started to suspect that it was more out of confidence rather than carelessness.

"You can struggle all you want." His female captor leered down at him. "But I could use this lasso on Superman and he wouldn't be able to break free."

"You obviously haven't tried it out on him yet!" Robin threw back. No way in heck was she going to make those kind of assumptions about the strongest man in the world. Maybe even the universe. He was starting to look like an idiot now, Robin was now flopping like a fish out of water. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the others looking down at him. Pitying him. He must be looking pretty pathetic right now.

"Let me go!" Robin protested, his pride going out the window. Batman would be so disappointed right now.

"Thank you, Diana." Martian Manhunter nodded with approval. "Perhaps it would be best to ask this boy how he got here."

"Why don't we untie him a little first?" Flash suggested before a near unanimous stare down from the others seemed to have withered his opinion. Robin couldn't help but hear the man mumble. "He's just a little kid."

He didn't need sympathy...did he?

Green Lantern stepped forward. "So how should we do this then? Good Cop, Bad Cop? Direct Approach? Threaten to call his parents?" Robin could swear that he felt that last suggestion being thrown at him specifically.

"I think I might be able to help with this." Robin turned around in the direction of the voice. His struggling was all but forgotten as he made eye contact with the source. He knew that his heart was racing, he felt closed in from the combination of being tied up and having several people surrounding him. So many things that he wanted to say, but also unsure of how to express them without the others hearing. 

Eight months. That long since the two were in the same room together.

Dressed in complete blue with red tights around the groin. Jet-black hair with eyes so dark-blue, they resembled water. Robin fondly remembered a comment how his eyes looked so similar to his. His chest had a red and yellow symbol that resembled an S. Trailing behind him, besides the red cape of course, was a dark, billowing figure. Batman. Robin almost felt as if he were being plunged into a bucket of ice.

The man in blue knelt down to his level when he got close enough, ignoring Wonder Woman's look of confusion, and proceeded to begin untying Robin. The boy could sense that the man was being as gentle and quick as he could. He briefly gave Robin a simple look, a look of reassurance and to calm the heck down. Robin didn't care that other people were watching; the moment his bindings were off, he latched onto his savior like a lifeline. To his relief, the embrace was returned. It felt so good to see him again.

"Thanks Superman." Robin breathed quietly. Superman's response was to to ruffle the boy's hair, despite the returning grumbles coming out of the boy's mouth. Leave it to him to ruin a perfectly good moment.

Flash was the first to speak up, voicing the one thing that was on everyone's minds,

"Uh, Superman? Do you know this kid or something?"

"Even better." Superman smiled. "I know who's responsible for him."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

"Why wasn't I informed of this earlier?"

The temperature seemed to have dropped by ten degrees. Or at least by Flash's perspective, that is. 

When Batman came closer, he felt a pang for the boy as he looked like he wanted to crawl under a rock, pressing his back against Superman for support- emotional or physical- who gently placed a hand on his shoulder. The boy seemed to have calmed down a little, as his face became blank.

Batman looked down at the young boy. "You were supposed to wait for my signal." Wait a second, Batman knew about this?!

"I was." the boy explained in a quiet voice, clearly uncomfortable with the taller man's presence. "But...I think the...door was...open."

The door? That was what started this whole mess in the first place, Flash realized with shock. Now it looked like the kid was going to pay for his mistake. Flash should have ignored that stupid door.

"And you're expecting me to blame you for a careless mistake on my part?" Batman questioned. The boy sighed with relief as he heard this.

"Is someone going to explain what's going on or do I have to make you start talking?" Hawkgirl raised her mace threateningly.

Batman turned to his confused colleagues while Superman and the boy shared a grin with one another. "This was meant to be a surprise. I'd like to introduce you all to Robin. He's my new partner...and my son."

They definitely weren't in Kansas anymore...


	2. Introductions and Concerns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All Rights to Batman and Robin Belong to Bob Kane and Bill Finger and DC Comics. All Rights to the Justice League Belong to Cartoon Network and DC Comics.

Everyone was silent as they stared at the Dark Knight and the boy called Robin. Diana was looking very intensely at Batman, trying to see through the blank expression that he always kept on his face. 

Hawkgirl and Green Lantern had their mouths wide open in shock at the news, though not as comically wide as you would see in cartoons. Superman kept his hand on Robin's shoulder, who seemed to be getting more comfortable with the other heroes around him. 

J'onn kept a blank look on his pale-green face, almost a complete image of Batman's expression. And Flash turned his head to see everyone's reactions before he started laughing.

"Okay, we get it," Flash held his sides together as his body was racked with laughter, "Good one, Bats. Never knew you had a funny bone in-"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Batman glared harshly at the Speedster.

"Well...," Flash started uncertainly when he saw how serious the Dark Knight was looking, "No..."

"He's joking all right." Robin spoke up in a sarcastic tone that made Superman groan. "In fact, Batman just kidnapped me into being his sidekick and calls me his 'ward' with a creepy grin on his face. Sad thing is, he doesn't even know what the word means when I asked him, so...yeah. That's me and Bats in a nutshell."

"This isn't a laughing matter." Green Lantern frowned at the kid, "Who are you, really?"

"Well," Robin began slowly- Superman held his breath as he anticipated another sarcastic answer, "To Batman, I'm his partner and...kid.”

At this, Robin paused, Flash noticed a hint of surprise flash across his face. When Robin spoke again, confidence brimmed to the point of overflowing.

“To Supes, I'm one of his best friends. To Commissioner Gordon, I'm a civilian that's poking his nose in the wrong place. And to this guy," Robin then pointed at the Flash accusingly, "He thinks that I'm a joke."

"I have a name you know," Flash frowned, "Do you know what it is?"

Robin merely blinked several times, before speaking in a monotone voice towards the Speedster, "I have a feeling it's Steve..."

"Twenty bucks says Flash is gonna lose it first," Flash heard Hawkgirl muttered to John. He quietly glowered at this.

"What makes you think that?" He heard the Marine whispered back.

"Think about it," Hawkgirl replied, "That kid is definitely not like Batman."

"Your point?" John asked.

"Batman doesn't put much effort doing that."

"I have ears you know," Batman growled, startling the two heroes gossiping.

"Long, long ears," Robin muttered, taking note of the ears on Batman's costume. 

It was true, Flash noted, they were long...

"Pay attention, kid. I'll give you a hint," Flash sighed at Robin's lack of attention, "My costume is red and I'm considered the fastest man alive. That specific enough for you, kid?"

"A name...okay... your costume is red," Robin thought out loud. He snapped his fingers as if an answer came to him, "Fastest man alive...really goofy despite being an adult...I got it! You're Santa Claus!"

"Dude!" Flash cried indignantly while Hawkgirl quietly asked Green Lantern about ‘Santa Claws’. "How does that make sense?"

"Simple," Robin smirked, "You're wearing red, Santa can travel all over the world in one night, and you're acting really immature for your age. That specific enough for you, kid?" 

Now he was throwing back the Speedster's comment back with greater sarcasm.

"Is that your superpower?" Flash raised his voice slightly, ignoring the quiet warning that Green Lantern was muttering to him. "Being able to annoy someone in two seconds flat?!"

"Nope. You're just 'super-sensitive,'" Robin retorted before blowing a razz-berry at the man before him, "If I were to use my real powers on you, then it would make Superman look like a weakling. No offense by the way, Superman, I'm just saying I'm really tough."

"None taken," the Man of Steel shrugged nonchalantly.

"How about we go another round. Maybe we'll see if you can back up those words?" This time, Flash raised his fists threateningly. He wasn’t planning on hurting the kid, but he needed to stand his ground somehow.

"Ohhh," Robin's eyes widened, "I'm sooo scared. What're you gonna do? Trip over a bunch of marbles again?"

"Let's see how tough you are without those marbles!" Flash retorted.

"No need to. I already lost them years ago," Robin laughed at his little joke, though it sounded forced. 

Flash lowered his fists at this. He noticed Superman’s eyes widening at this, shifting towards Batman, as if asking for an explanation to that statement. Robin’s face flickered at 

Flash’s for a moment, as if realizing what just came out of his mouth. Flash quickly went to damage control mode.

"Even I could have done better than that." He groaned dramatically. Robin’s face quickly became impish again.

"Robin," Batman spoke to his partner. The boy frowned at the Dark Knight, "I want you to be more civil around my colleagues-"

"Colleagues?" Flash repeated the words in disbelief. 

Six months of working with a sun-hating hero and the Speedster never expected Bats to refer to him or anyone else on the Watchtower as a "colleague."

"Batman just said colleagues," Robin gasped dramatically, "It's a sign of the apocalypse! Quick, to the Batmobile!"

Superman started to laugh loudly, much to everyone else's surprise. Flash quickly joined in when he finally understood the reference. Hawkgirl chuckled lightly, though she didn't mean it. Wonder Woman and John merely looked at each other with confusion. Batman and J'onn simply said nothing.

“Is the kid just here for comedy relief?" Hawkgirl finally asked. “Cause one comedian’s more than enough.”

At the end of that statement, she looked at Flash, who was ready to give his traditional rebuttal when Batman interjected.

"He's my partner," Batman explained coldly, "And still needs to know when to get serious." At the end of this sentence, Batman turned his glare towards Robin, who slowly stopped laughing and turned a light shade of red.

The Speedster spoke up before the silence became too awkward. "You know what? I'm gonna make some more frappes. Anyone else in the mood?"

"I am curious about these...frappes. Might I join you?" J'onn offered. As the two heroes walked off, Green Lantern pursued them.

"Oh no," He began in a warning tone as he caught up with J'onn and Flash, "Flash already bombed it several minutes ago, I will not have him make the place a mess again!"

"Maybe you could make me one too," Wonder Woman suggested before seeing John glaring at her and adding, "Under...careful supervision that is."

"I could go for a snack!" Robin rushed towards the kitchen. Flash was about to nod at this, willing to give the kid another chance when a green wall suddenly formed in front of the boy, stopping him in his tracks. Robin looked indignant at Green Lantern for an answer.

"Sorry kid," Green Lantern frowned, "But you plus Flash would equal disaster. It's best that you wait till he leaves the kitchen."  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx  
"Fine," grumbled Robin. He looked towards Hawkgirl, who still had a drink in her hand, snatching it out of her grasp. "But I'm taking her drink instead!"

"Hey!" Hawkgirl cried indignantly. "Get your own."

As Robin drew his lips close to the straw, he felt a strong grip pull it out of his grasp and hand it back to its frustrated owner. Hawkgirl grunted with gratitude before helping herself to the beverage once more.

"What gives?" Robin demanded to the Dark Knight.

"This is mocha flavor and you know caffeine is bad for you," Batman explained coldly. "I don't want you to have backwash either."

"It's pretty hard to stay up at least 18 hours a day," Robin protested. "Gimme a break, I was just joking!"

"I'm sure this is coming from experience." He heard Superman speak from behind. "After all, you two have had your share of sodas together."

"Used to," Robin muttered under his breath, barely audible. He didn’t want to think about that. 

He knew that Uncle Clark would pick up on those words, nonetheless, silently dreading what he might do with those words. Another “talk” with his guardian, perhaps? Try to fix things as if it were a conflict between two nations?

Like that would work.

"How did you know it was mocha?" Flash looked at Batman inquisitively.

"It's the only thing you like to make in that kitchen because it has caffeine in it." Batman replied simply, "Even you need your morning buzz."

"So what am I supposed to do?" Robin glared at his mentor as they watched the other League members walk off. Flash lingered behind, hearing the upset tone in the lad's voice.

Robin tried to ignore it. He didn’t want pity.

"You coming, Flash?" John called to the Speedster. 

Flash sighed and dashed off. Instead of feeling relief at this, Robin felt remorse creeping into his chest. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea…

"There's a workout room not far from here," Batman suggested, "We could test out a new obstacle course in there."

"Sounds like a plan," Robin replied sarcastically, knowing that Batman wouldn’t have noticed his tone if it were in flashing subtitles. As the duo made their way to the workout room, a strong hand was placed on Batman's shoulder.

"Batman, I was wondering if you could talk to me in private for a few minutes," Superman smiled, though it looked forced from Robin’s perspective. "I was meaning to talk to you about one of your rouges planning something in Metropolis. Two-Face, I think?"

Robin tensed up at the mention of the word, Two-Face, and backed away slowly. They were going to talk…and it wasn’t going to be pretty.

"Could we talk in my room...alone?" Superman concluded.

As an answer, Batman nodded and let the Kryptonian lead the way into Superman's quarters without looking back at his protégé.

"Oh sure, go ahead," Robin called out to the two adults, though his voice cracked a little, "Leave the minor unsupervised!"

This day was not turning out as he had hoped it would be. Robin was supposed to join the League, not be ignored like something unpleasant! He punched a wall in frustration, leaving a small dent in the metal. 

Robin felt his fingers crack from the force, expecting Alfred to have a field day over this back at the cave. Holding his hand in pain, Robin glumly slumped onto the floor. In the span of at least eight minutes, he had made the worst first impressions on the best of the best.

He’d rather deal with those rich yuppies than handle the outright rejection…  
XXXXXXX  
"What do you think of that kid, John?" Hawkgirl asked John as they walked down the hall.

"I think Batman's got a few screws loose in that head of his," John grumbled, "What person in the right mind would bring a kid into this type of work?"

"I dunno," Flash jumped in, hoping to turn the conversation into something more cheerful. "He was able to deal with us for a while. And who says Batman's sane anyways?"

At this, no one responded.

"We merely underestimated him," Diana replied, "If Batman taught him, then we should have a pretty good idea of what he's capable of."

"In other words, we have no idea whatsoever," Flash corrected, "I mean, how often do we see Bats?"

"More often than we'll see that kid, I hope" John replied. Flash couldn't help but hear some relief creep into his voice. 

Did he have a thing against children or something? No, he knew John. He was grumpy, sure, but not a jerk.

"Could you give Robin a break?" Flash frowned at his friend. "He reminds me of...me."

"And that's my reason for not doing so," John grumbled. "The last thing we need is another kid to take care of...no offense, Flash…Flash?"

Flash looked back over his shoulders, his thoughts lingering to Robin. Not in a creepy way, but in a way that reminded him of some of the kids back in Central City.

There were a few words said back there that he was certain no one else would bother bringing up.

He might be childish, but at least Flash knew how to deal with kids better!

Flash dug his heels into the metal floor, feeling little traction underneath him. He could feel Hawkgirl looking at him, her eyes seeing what the others wouldn’t until it was too late.

“Flash.” Hawkgirl began, knowing how it will turn out.

Before she could continue, Flash moved and felt wind touch his face as if in an embrace. He could barely feel the ground underneath him, he was practically gliding. All too soon, the rush of excitement coursing through his body faded the moment Flash came to a halt. He tried to slow down towards the end, the memory of colliding into the wall was still too recent.

Aside from sliding a few feet forward upon forcing his feet to stop movement, Flash felt that he did well that time. He expected to see Robin looking at him with a look of surprise. 

Instead, he saw a little kid crouching on the ground, his head tucked into his knees, the look of misery.

This was gonna bite him in the butt later on for sure. But Flash didn’t care. He took a deep breath, the words already scripted in his mind sounded plausible enough to not come off as patronizing.

"Look, if you promise not to give me a hard time, you can come into the kitchen with us. Okay?"

Robin flinched at the sound, looking up before quickly putting on a mask of hostility.

"And what do you mean by 'hard time,'" Robin demanded. Suspicion started to drip into the boy's tone for the first time, concerning Flash.

"Like not teasing me mercilessly," Flash explained, showing a small grin on his face encouragingly. Nothing major, just to give the kid some reassurance.

Robin looked at the Speedster suspiciously before holding out a hand. "Truce?"

Flash's grin widened before closing his own hand around the boy's in agreement, "Sure, truce." Robin winced as the Speedster squeezed his hand a little, and quickly withdrew it, his face trying to mimic Batman’s.

Flash wasn’t fooled but didn’t say anything.

The Speedster then helped pull Robin up to his feet and gently pushed him towards the others...or more like picked him off his feet and dashed over to the rest of the League. He looked at Robin, knowing that the Speed Force would still maintain if another person remained within the barrier given.

Aside from that look of surprise Flash hoped to see earlier, Robin looked amused.

“That was almost like flying.” Robin whispered with excitement.

John groaned with frustration as he saw Flash place Robin down to the ground. The peace between those two could not possibly last long, Flash theorized. He’d have to fix that.

Time for the kid to prove them all wrong somehow...

"Sorry about the introductions back there," Robin mumbled to the floor, his face burning red with embarrassment over his poor first impressions, "I'm really not like that. Can we start over?"

The other heroes looked at one another, wondering which of them was brave enough to as Robin put it "start over."

Flash's face slowly turned into an infectious grin once more as he said, "Sure. Why not? Come on guys, give Rob another chance."

The other heroes hesitated, unsure of who was brave enough to do what Flash just offered. It wasn't every day that Batman brought in an ally that might just seem more difficult to handle than the Dark Knight himself. 

Clearly, J'onn was the bravest as he stepped forward, extending his hand in greeting. Flash made a note to himself to thank the man…er, Martian, later.

"I am Martian Manhunter, but you may refer to me as J'onn," the Martian spoke in a calm voice. Both heroes grasped hands briefly, already feeling the pressure of friendship blossom between them. "It is nice to meet you."

Robin grinned widely at the alien, "Vise versa. Bats told me a lot about you and I was hoping to meet you...under better circumstances. Name's Robin, but you already knew that of course." He chuckled weakly at his comment.

J'onn’s eyes furrowed, a sight Flash connected with concentration. Right now, he must be trying to get a good read on the kid, sensing thoughts that no one else could hear.   
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
Echoes bounced between J’onn and the boy, who started to look uncomfortable at the gaze held before him. He could sense that the boy was being honest.   
Beneath that cold and impish nature of his, Robin seemed to be radiating with warmth. The Martian could almost feel it coming off the lad. But he also sensed that the boy was hiding something else that even the Martian's mind couldn't make clear of. His head started to feel fuzzy when he gently probed Robin's mind, like a dense fog was covering it from view.

The echoes rang out like metal clanging upon metal. There was a barrier there, J’onn realized. One that required no visual effort on the boy’s part to maintain. He tried to send a signal radiating with comfort, a sign of peace in the hopes that Robin would allow him to enter his mind.

Robin made no sign acknowledging he received the signal, concern creeping into J’onn’s heart. He could still sense the boy’s emotions, as he made no effort to hide them like Batman did.

Whatever was going on in that boy’s head, J’onn concluded, it needed to be addressed soon.  
XXXXX  
Flash’s smile grew wider as Wonder Woman followed J'onn's example. Robin smiled gently, things were turning out okay right now.

She held out her hand, "I am Diana. I am a princess from Themyscira...that is, until I left a few months ago." Robin didn't miss the subdued tone her voice took at the end of her introduction.

"Diana...nice name. So you're really a princess?" Robin tried to turn the topic to a lighter side. Diana nodded, making the boy's mouth drop. "Get out! I always thought Batman was exaggerating. I always thought you were from outer space too, just like Superman."

The Amazon couldn't help but blush at the compliment, or was it out of embarrassment, Robin wondered.

Hawkgirl's initial caution had finally faded by the time Wonder Woman had finished. 

It lacked in pleasantries for the most part. 

"I'm Hawkgirl. But if you want to call me anything else, then don't! If there's one thing Mr. Gloom and Doom hasn't gotten out of me yet, it's my real name."

"...And I respect that wish," Robin answered cautiously. He should have given her a better first impression instead of hitting her. So much for looking tough on the first day...

Great job, Batman! Way to help him with making a good first impression.

Green Lantern was the last one to hold out his hand, despite it being a begrudging gesture as seen by his grim expression. "Green Lantern, better known as John Stewart. But I'm guessing you already knew that."

"Your ID is public, so yeah," Robin said awkwardly. Any attempt at conversation with the man faded when he looked up at the Marine's face.

"It's a wonder how you are working with Batman." Flash replied as he suddenly placed a hand on the young hero's shoulder.

"Let's just say we both have a high tolerance for each other," Robin replied, grateful for the older man's rescue attempt.

"High tolerance?" Flash asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Rahat! 

Robin mentally kicked himself. He shouldn't have said that!

"Let's just get some milkshakes made already before I hit puberty." He added quickly.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
Walking down the hall with the Man of Steel already had warning signs going off in Batman's head. That always seemed to be the case with Superman nowadays. It wasn't often that Superman would let Batman enter his world as often as he should. 

So, when the door to the Kryptonian's room was opened, Batman wasn't expecting to see the walls covered with newspapers compared to his barely-lit room with only a computer as a companion. When Batman took a closer look at the newspapers, he saw that they were specific events connected to the Justice League.

One showed Flash with a group of orphans, all the kids smiling-actually smiling- in front of the Central City Orphanage, the first time the League ever heard of their Speedster doing charitable work outside of hero duties.

Wonder Woman dominated the front page in the Daily Planet as the picture depicts Bizarro, a quazi-clone of Superman, being taken down in one punch by the Amazon, courtesy of Jimmy Olsen's amazing photography abilities, Batman recalled that was the first-time Diana ever let herself be seen in the larger public eye since the invasion several months prior. 

J'onn and Superman share a front page in the New York Times from two months ago, lifting a bus filled with civilians together, when people saw two aliens of different species working together. Perhaps this was a simple memento to commemorate the day, Batman pondered.

Hawkgirl and Green Lantern shared a front page together as well in the Daily Planet as they simultaneously take down Copperhead and Solomon Grundy, possibly marking the first time those two seemed to have worked together properly. Those two tended to butt heads with one another when Flash was out of the room.

But the last one that was at the foot of Superman's bed was also the recent clip posted. The Gotham Gazette also had a field day by the looks of last week's edition. On the front cover was Batman and Robin standing over the unconscious bodies of the Joker, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and basically almost all their rogues together. The headline read: NEW DYNAMIC DUO IN GOTHAM?

He didn't bother reading the actual article, Batman had seen it several times already.

"So," Batman began sarcastically. "Is Two-Face actually planning something or is this really about Robin?"

The friendly facade faded from Superman’s face like melting ice. He frowned, "Bruce-"

"Don't call me Bruce. Not in uniform!" Batman growled in warning. Friends or not, Batman refused to let his identity be exposed so casually so close to the others.

"Bruce, we need to talk about Robin. Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?" Superman matched Batman's glare with one of his own, continuing as if the warning hadn't been made just now. 

Of course, he knew. Batman wasn’t an idiot!

"People are starting to talk. Apparently, kids and crime-fighting don't mix in today's world. Are you trying to ensure that your 'crusade' stays alive?"

"I'm doing what I think is best for Robin," Batman merely responded with a blank expression, devoid of most emotion.

"Do you even remember what happened the last time you tried this stupid idea?" Superman countered. 

Batman visibly flinched at the comment, his face briefly contorting with emotions. The Man of Steel knew he hit the right button this time.

Batman countered, speaking as clinically as possible. "He merely suffered multiple bruising and had a broken arm-"

"Don't think you can hide all the details from me like last time!" Superman raised his voice this time, "We both know what you're saying is a lie!"

This time, the Dark Knight couldn't bear to look Superman in the eyes, only focusing his attention on the photo of Wonder Woman.

Watch her sling those slender arms with grace. That beautiful hair of hers shining in the sunlight. So silky and smooth.

"I thought we both agreed two years ago, to never let him play dress up and patrol Gotham at night anymore!"

Look at Wonder Woman's face. Her lips a natural rosy-red. Her skin a nice tone of olive.

"I shouldn't be surprised that you went back on your word though!"

See the twinkle in her blue eyes. Sparkling like the stars that you see her gaze at in the long nights. A near-perfect resemblance to how Snow White might look in real life.

"History is just going to repeat itself if you don't end this before it begi-"

"I LEARNED FROM THAT MISTAKE CLARK! DON'T PRETEND I FORGOT ALL ABOUT IT!" Batman roared in Superman's face. How dare he try to use that day against him like that! He froze, ashamed at his lack of composure.

"This is child endangerment, Bruce!" Clark retorted, his voice giving way to a little frustration. "I didn't want to talk about it in front of Dick because I didn't want to upset him. He's just a kid-"

"He's almost twelve years old and growing into a fine young man-" He should be acting like a kid, too!

"He is still a minor in the eyes of the law!" Clark threw back. "If you keep this up, Child Services will intervene and make it their ambition to arrest you and take Dick away from you and Alfred! Is that what you want?"

"Are you threatening to let that happen to your own godson?" Batman growled in a more menacing tone. Superman’s face hardened. 

Batman sighed, forcing his voice to become calm. "I know I made mistakes back then. I know I screwed up, but I am trying to make things right! Do you really think I wouldn't learn from the past?"

"No," Clark said quietly, "I just don't want him to get hurt again...like last time!" He ended that sentence with another glare that was even more terrifying that the Bat-Glare, not that the Dark Knight would ever tell the Boy Scout that.

“Nothing horrible happened last time-“

“There are some injuries that aren’t inflicted physically!”

"I swear that nothing will happen this time," Batman deflated, his defenses going down. He pulled off the cowl, transforming into Bruce Wayne, billionaire playboy and philanthropist. And an absolute weakling when it came to things that mattered.

It was the ultimate sign of humility.

"Swear your life on it and I'll believe you." Clark crossed his arms.

Bruce raised his right hand automatically and spoke clearly, "I swear on my life that I will keep Robin safe from every possible danger that I can. As both his mentor and as his father."

"You better, Bruce," Clark proceeded to walk out of the room, "Or sooner or later, you won't be either any longer."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few changes to this chapter from its original source on fanfiction dot net, changes I am pleased with for adding some character insight and fixing mistakes to make them all sound more like their canon versions. Also a little work adding and improving POVs as well. 
> 
> Thank you all who have already seen the first chapter and decided to comment or give kudos. 
> 
> This is the first story I placed here that has gotten some feedback. Please keep up the good work and let me know what is good and what can be made better.


	3. Chapter 2: Frappes and Other Surprises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, looking back, my writing wasn't that great and a lot of editing was needed for this chapter.

Robin slowly walked behind the Speedster, feeling like a man on death row. Maybe it was the current atmosphere. It was strange, because Flash seemed to be completely comfortable with the young hero to the point where he would try and place a hand on his shoulder occasionally, only for Robin to shove it off roughly. He needed his personal space too! Robin looked ahead to see Diana walking close to John-no wait-J'onn. 

Their names just sounded so similar, Robin was certain that even the people back on Earth got the 

Green Lantern and the Martian's names mixed up from time to time. 

It was so confusing. Not just the names, but the way the Princess seemed to be interacting with the Martian guy. The way they both acted so…intimate. Batman's not going to be pleased about this. 

The Dark Knight never said a word about the Amazon at all, but after living with the man for several years, Robin could somewhat read his thoughts, depending on whether Batman knew he was being watched.

The young hero remembered yesterday how he had asked about the warrior princess and the only answer he got was that he'd find out. But there was something in the man's eyes when he said it, something like a twinkle, that made Robin realize that there was more than admiration between the two...at least, he thought there was something between the two. Then again, Batman always had that look in his eyes regarding women.

He turned to look at Hawkgirl, who was walking so close to the Marine that their shoulders were touching each other. He could see Hawkgirl's turned head as she muttered quietly into John's ear until one of her hawk-like eyes noticed the young hero staring and closed her mouth. John noticed this and turned around, his look of confusion quickly changed into one of disapproval. 

Robin had the distinct feeling that he was the subject of their...conversation. What was it with adults and talking about kids when they're standing close by? Do they think kids are deaf?!

It helped to look out of the windows in the hallway, and maybe even pretend he was floating in the frigid stillness of space. Robin had to admit, the sight was incredible to see, it was almost like being an angel watching from afar. The stars were tiny diamonds just waiting to be touched, so delicate, so small that the slightest touch would shatter them to a thousand pieces. 

Robin always thought that the sky was black, but now he saw that it was an array of colors. Blues and purples and whites and even specks of yellow. It was as amazing as well as depressing at the same time. The fact that in space, people were nothing more than specks of dust that didn't belong, too small to be seen. 

He could see the Earth spinning like a snail. 24 hours was how long it took to complete its rotation, his teacher said, and it took all his being and a gentle hand from Barbara placed onto his arm that kept him from saying something that might have gotten him suspended.

It wasn’t the explanation almost got to him, it was just the condescending tone that he swore he could hear. It was like he thought Robin was illiterate and uneducated – and he was an eleven-year-old in Freshman year! – and was therefore to be treated as such!

And it wasn't just at school, adults always seemed to view him as someone helpless and in need of "guidance." God forbid that anything happens to those fools. It was one thing to try to be nice to Robin, but it was another thing to treat him like he was nothing more than an ignorant toddler. 

Sure, he was small, but that wasn't an excuse for people to just ignore him outright as if he didn't exist. Didn't they know how much anger would begin to swell inside of him? Did the fact that anything that was said to a kid at his age would be very impressionable and affect him for years to come? Are people really that dimwitted, that ignorant, that retar-

"Earth to Robin," something was rapping at Robin's head, reminding him of a squirrel hitting a nut for some odd reason.

"We're not on Earth," Robin replied without thinking, "We're in a spaceship that's floating in orbit until-"

"You know what I meant," the rapping on his head stopped as Robin saw the Flash squat down to his eye-level. Something about that grin on the Speedster was both creeping and at the same time, patronizing. It was pretty childish-looking. Flash continued, "You drifting off, pipsqueak?

Robin took one more look at J'onn-no wait-John and Hawkgirl, who had now walked past him and were whispering to each other more quickly before replying, "Guess I"m just trying to tune... things out."

"Nothing to be ashamed of," Flash grinned, "I do it all of the time."

Robin furrowed his eyebrows at the Speedster, making the man flinch.

"Like father, like son, huh?" Flash's grin faltered, his voice notably lower now.

Robin took it one step further "I can see why Batman doesn't like mixing with you...he already deals with me." Flash only laughed. Adults were so ignorant of how children worked...

Superman stared at the computer screen, feeling an awkward silence between him and Batman. Of course, Bruce would act immature about the topic and give him the cold shoulder, and he doesn't even have the Kryptonian's super-breath. The Dark Knight was probably thinking of ways to torture his mind right now.

Maybe the issue wasn't that Superman brought it up, maybe it was the idea that Batman felt no trust from his...friend? Ally? Obviously, the Bat didn't see the two of the as friends, but it was different from the Man of Steel's perspective. 

The least that the Dark Knight could do was acknowledge that Superman was helpful, but that was it. Maybe there is a barrier between them because Bruce was afraid if what those idiot reporters would think back at Gotham. The rumors that would circulate around them...augh! Don't think about it!

Did he force Robin into doing this? 

It seems so out of character for the poor kid too. Why didn't he just make them sign a contract or something? It was bad enough that villains were popping up all over place ever since the League was created. How can he take Bruce's word that nothing bad will happen to Dick if he was around? 

Superman saw how Robin was keeping his distance from his mentor. Of how uncomfortable he seemed whenever Batman was close. His eyes started becoming hot, it was almost like he was seeing red - dear God, he was seeing red! - and then he had to cover his eyes with his large-as-frying-pan hands before the heat escaped from his eyes.

And then winced at the small blisters quickly forming, and then fading just as quickly.

Heat vision. The one thing that couldn't be controlled well when angry. And it almost destroyed the keyboard in front of him too!

Superman closed his eyes and took a deep breath, just like Ma taught him. 

‘Let your mind become as blank as a sheet.’ He could hear his own heart beat now. Pulsing like a jackhammer one minute and as slow as water dripping from a faucet in the next. 

There are a few things that the Man of Steel couldn't block out; like the sound of fingers clapping over the keyboard several feet to his right, and the stomping feet that was certain to belong to Batman, or the rotating blades of the blender in the kitchen going too fast for comfo- what was Flash doing in there?!

Superman stood up and started heading towards the kitchen. The sound of blades whirling have been heard before, so maybe he was overreacting. Then again, he always seemed to get more worried whenever Robin was around and not in his sight. Please let it be a normal mess instead of the alternative that was running through the Kryptonian's head right now!

“Superman, what’s wrong?”

He ignored the Dark Knight's demanding questions as he rushed out of the room, running one minute, then flying almost with the same grace of Diana the next. Oh dear God let this all be something silly...  
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"Okay. We got peanut butter, Oreos, sliced bananas, a carton of vanilla ice cream for everyone, and chocolate syrup on the side in case someone asks for it." Flash listed out loud while he placed each item mentioned into the blender, each ingredient filling up the blender even more than the last, "Are we missing something?"

"Yeah, a shield!" John answered as he created a green field around the monstrous little machine. Hawkgirl smirked at the spectacle unfolding. Robin raised an eyebrow at this.

"For what?" He asked Flash as he helped pull out several paper cups with covers from a cabinet. He winced again as pain shot into his hand, but no one noticed this at all. The last thing he needed was to be lectured on "controlling emotions" or whatever the heck came out of their mouths.

 

"For when this thing explodes in Green Lantern's face again," Flash smirked John, who simply rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Imagine if Batman got hit instead," Robin whispered to the Speedster, "I'd think he would die of embarrassment." 

Both chuckled at the thought of the Dark Knight's face if ice cream splattered every part of his outfit. Robin quickly stopped himself mid-laugh and did his best to banish those thoughts from his mind. If Batman ever found out he was thinking of ways to embarrass him...

“You okay?” Flash asked. Robin nodded quickly.

“Just thinking.” He muttered. Robin continued to take out more cups from the cupboard, blushing when he looked at the amount he had already taken out. He didn’t remember there being twenty people eating in the kitchen. He noticed a red arm shooting out and grabbing the excess, returning at least three fourths of the cups back into the cupboard.

“About what?”

“Stuff.” Robin shrugged lamely.

“Like?” Flash pressed on.

Several lies came to mind, each more ridiculous than the last. Eventually, Robin looked at the chocolate-skinned man and smiled. “Like why Green Lantern is freaking out over making frappes.”

“Something happen just before we found you.” Flash smiled eagerly, like one of those socialites at those stupid galas who always had the juiciest gossip.

“So there me and Hawkgirl were-“ He started.

“Hawkgirl and I.” Green Lantern corrected.

“No, I remember it was just the two of us at the time, John. You came in later.” Flash pouted.

“You know what I meant.” Green Lantern rolled his eyes.

“Then stop playing Storyteller, jeez, three words out of your mouth and you already got the story wrong.” Flash continued dramatically.

For the next few minutes, Robin played the audience while the Flash described what most people would have called ludicrous. But he grew up in Gotham, so what he was listening to was nothing by comparison.

“-and then Hawkgirl swung her mace wildly, nearly grazing my shoulder-“

“-GL started losing control of the blender-“

“-I smashed it. With. A. Hammer!”

By the end, Robin was struggling to hold back chuckles.  
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Hawkgirl leaned towards John who was merely standing beside her and whispered, "Not exactly how I imagined spending our day, huh?"

"You mean the kid already getting on Flash's good side? Or the fact that we're making frappes against my wishes?" John frowned at the Thanagarian.

"The kid," Hawkgirl nudged her head in Robin's direction, "Who knew Batman was a parent?"

"Well, probably excluding the Boy Scout, nobody I guess," the Marine responded, "Why did he decide to tell us at all? It's not like he needs a new babysitter or something?"

"You have a point there," Hawkgirl crossed her arms, "Since when did Mr. Part-Timer decide that his own son should come aboard the Watchtower?"

The Marine opened his mouth to respond when he heard Flash speak,

"Alright. Is everyone ready?" The Speedster asked everyone in the room, looking around to see everyone nod in unison. With the confirming nods, he flipped a switch on the wall, "Then let's get this party started!"

"I'm taking cover," Hawkgirl proceeded to walk out of the kitchen as quickly as she could, leaving John all alone with the others. If there was one thing she had learned today, it was to never stay in the kitchen when the Flash was at work. J'onn looked at the setting Flash adjusted the blender to before crying out, "Flash, no! You set it to-"

But the warning came too late as the blender went berserk, screaming and bouncing around like a maniac. The noise startled John, exposing everyone else to the spewing chunks of peanut butter and syrup. Hawkgirl, who had the sense to stay by the doorway, dashed out when she saw John lower his guard. 

Diana tried to block the projectiles with her bracelets, but they failed her; much to her shock and dismay. Robin was about to use his cape as a shield when a red blur dashed at him and dragged him out of harm's way (if ice cream could be considered harmful.) When the Flash slipped on some of the mess, he fell and covered Robin with his body, taking the majority of the attack upon himself. J'onn merely used his powers to phase through the oncoming mess that came his way.

Thinking fast, Robin moved out of Flash's protective embrace and threw what appeared to be a batarang at the switch, turning off the blender.

"-hyper-drive..." J'onn finished awkwardly when he noticed that the onslaught had ceased. Hawkgirl came back into the room and merely stood there with her mouth open in shock.  
John groaned, "Not again!" as he looked over his ruined (for the second time in less than ten minutes too!) uniform. Diana attempted to wipe off the mess that landed in her hair, only making it worse with each attempt. 

Flash merely wipe some ice cream off of his face and started licking it. Robin took one look at the Speedster and followed his example.

“Tell me again why do we have a blender with that setting?” John dryly asked, wiping off splattered milk and peanut butter.

“Because I like my frappes the way you like your enemies.” Flash grinned.

“Are you suggesting I’d like to turn Sinestro into a drink?”

Flash opened his mouth to respond when Robin piped up loudly.

"Mmm," Robin licked syrup off his gloves, "Oreo and peanut butter! Bad for clothes, but still good to eat!"

Flash looked at the now destroyed switch and then back at the kid in his lap. Even with a full-grown adult blocking him, Robin managed to hit that target perfectly...well, almost perfectly.

“Who knew you were some kind of Boy Wonder?" Flash smiled at Robin, impressed with his marksmanship.

"What's with nicknames already?" Robin cried indignantly, "It's not cute!"

"I like the sound of it," Hawkgirl replied as she entered the room once more mess-free, "You're acting the part pretty well, tough guy."

"I am tough," Robin protested, but the tone he was using didn't convince anyone in the room at all. It's impossible to sound manly when you voice goes an octave higher on occasion.

"You should take it as a compliment, not as an insult," J'onn reasoned gently. Robin sighed and continued to lick his hands clean of ice cream.

"At least someone's enjoying themselves," Hawkgirl sighed, "The blender acts up again and these two are licking themselves like cats."

"You should see the cats in Gotham," Robin replied, a sinister grin starting to form. "Bats has a soft spot for this one kitty-"

"What happened in here?" An urgent voiced cried out from the other kitchen entrance. Robin turned his head and merely smirked at the sight while he felt Flash tremble slightly at the sight of the Man of Steel looking like he was searching for a time bomb. Or maybe it was the sugar. already flowing inside of him.

"We were just making frappes," Robin replied nonchalantly, grinning as Superman's shoulders drooped down in relief. He held out an arm and jokingly said, "Want some?"

Superman smirked. "Thanks, but I'm not as disgusting as you are."

"That's enough," Batman's voice filled the room quickly. Robin's grin slid off quickly before the Dark Knight continued to the others, "Meet me and Superman in the conference room after you clean up this mess. No excuses. Robin!"

The person mentioned jumped at the sound of Batman's voice as the man continued speaking, "You're a mess. Stop licking yourself and clean yourself up." And with that, the World's Finest left the kitchen as quickly as they came.

"They were just making snacks, Bruce," Superman muttered into Batman's ear, "The least you can do is lighten up for Robin's sake. He looked like he was starting to have fun."

"Don't. Call. Me. That!" Batman whispered coldly, unsure if they were even out of earshot yet, "And the last thing my partner needs is sugar."

"He's your son," Superman whispered harshly, "Protecting him doesn't mean snap at him for every little mistake he makes." The Man of Steel flinched as the Dark Knight turned around and glared at him. It was the simple squinting of the eyes lightly that made the infamous "Bat-Glare" so effective in the first place.

"Yes," Batman whispered even more quietly than before in a way that made the hallway around them drop ten degrees, "He's my son. Stop acting like he's yours!"

Superman stayed rooted to the spot as the Dark Knight stalked away, doing everything in his power to keep from hitting something or someone in anger.  
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"I'll get a mop," J'onn said dryly before proceeding to phase through a wall. Robin looked on with amazement before he went to the cupboard and took out some rags. As he reached into the cupboard again, Robin grabbed his hand in pain, wincing as he did so.

"You okay," Flash asked before dashing up to the boy and examined the hand.

"It's nothing," Robin tried to explain, "One bruise won't kill-ouch!"

Without warning, the Speedster grabbed a hold of the young hero's hand and examined it closely.

"You know, J'onn's kind of a doctor," Flash pointed out as he felt the hand gently, "Maybe he could look at it-"

"Don't worry, I've dealt with worse," Robin shrugged off the offer, "I'll have this checked up on later."

"But your hand-" Flash began before Robin interrupted him,

"Less talking, more cleaning. Now get to it."

"Excuse me Mr. Bossy Pants," the Speedster grumbled.

With the combined efforts of the Justice League (and a little help from Flash's super-speed), the kitchen was once again spotless in a matter of minutes. Robin helped the most next to the Speedster, wiping off ice cream in places where the others couldn't reach due to their sizes. 

Their costumes, were another problem altogether though. Flash suggested using the sink spray before everyone vetoed that idea.

Unfortunately, Flash had gone temporarily deaf and doused everyone within seconds. When Green Lantern started hovering from the ground in a green aura, Flash started running before slipping across the room.

Green Lantern fell to the ground, laughing loudly at the sight.

A minute and several paper towel rolls later, everyone looked presentable again. 

"You seem to know your way around the kitchen," Flash nodded in Robin’s direction. He added with a smirk. "You Batman's cleaning maid too?"

"I am actually," Robin responded dryly. "My usual cleaning uniform's back at the cave though."

"Is it French-Maid style?" Fladh smirked at Robin's small joke.

"Nah, Batman's not that crazy," Robin replied with a grin. Flash's grin relaxed slightly until Robin added in a more serious tone, "It's more of a janitor's outfit. Sometimes, he makes me dress like a butler and serve him drinks while calling him 'Master Batman' in some phony British accent."

"You're kidding!" Green Lantern responded calmly.

"Does he really make you do that?" Diana sounded alarmed, "Hera help us!"

“Yes, Hera help us in a place where she doesn’t exist.” Hawkgirl added sarcastically. Her expression softened at the glare Diana threw at her. “Right, not funny.”

Robin laughed, "I'm just joking, Princess. But I really am better at cleaning than Bats is. He doesn't even know how to use the vacuum cleaner."

"He doesn't?" Flash chuckled, "So much for being the best at everything."

"He's only the best at everything that he thinks matters," Robin explained, "It doesn't help that he doesn't know the first thing about cleanliness. Between you and me, I bet he wouldn't even bathe unless he was threatened by a mutual friend of ours."

"What mutual friend?" The Speedster asked, "Superman?"

"Nah," Robin replied, "Just someone that even Supes can't control."

"How tragic," Hawkgirl pretended to whine with pity, "The Man of Steel is losing his influence over people."

"Like he hasn't already?" Green Lantern raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t bring it up.” Flash sighed.

“I’m just saying, people aren’t inclined to our favorite busy body these days.”

“Are you one of those people?” Flash questioned.

“No, but I can see where they’re coming from. They’re scared.”

“It happened two years ago-“

“It’s still too soon.”

Robin felt his stomach clench at those words. They were talking about…that incident, were they? One brainwashed Superman and a few dozen ships accompanying him and the Earth becomes scared out of their wits.

How many people even believed that the man they once trusted was under another’s thrall?

"Come on." Robin began to walk out of the kitchen, wishing to stop an argument before it occurred. "We have a meeting to attend." J'onn proceeded to fly out of the room as soon as the boy said this. Diana followed suit while the remaining four heroes made their way out. 

Robin was in the lead while Flash followed behind closely. John and Hawkgirl trailed behind for a few moments before the Marine started running towards the young boy.

"Who says you're attending the meeting?" Green Lantern demanded as soon as he caught up to Robin, "It's for League members only."

"Says Batman," Robin shrugged, "Want to complain to someone, go to him."

"I will!" Green Lantern replied.

"Yo Rob," Flash dashed up to the hero. Robin turned around to face the Speedster, "Just wondering something. Why is a kid like yourself hanging out with Batman for, anyways?   
Aside from the whole...'My dad is Batman'-thing, you know."

"I have my reasons," Robin replied vaguely. He silently wished that the Speedster would stop now.

"Like...what?" Flash asked, "Glory-seeking? Adoring fans?"

"Not those two you just mentioned." He answered, "And aren't they the same thing?"

"Yes," The Speedster replied, "Alright then, if you aren't doing wither of those things, then what is it?"

Robin blushed, "I... don’t really want to talk about my reasons. The only thing you need to know is that they're important to me. Nothing more." 

He didn't feel like adding that no matter what he said, the League would either view him as selfish or arrogant.

"How long have you been training?" J'onn slowed down so he could float alongside the young boy, who groaned as another adult began to question him. Robin squirmed at this, wishing he stayed back home. Why wouldn’t they leave him alone?! 

J'onn must have sensed his discomfort and added in a gentle tone, "I will not judge you or your answer in any way or form."  
Robin bit his lip and frowned at the response. While it was nice that Martian Manhunter was trying to avoid coming off as intimidating, the route he took was just as demeaning, maybe even worse. It sounded like he believed Robin to be the sensitive type, just like all of the other idiots at those parties. 

The only difference was that while the Martian didn't want to make the young hero uncomfortable or scared of responding, those damned socialites felt that anything they said to him would be able to break him so easily on the inside.

He muttered under his breath the only thing he could think of, "Two years."

"I'm sorry?" J'onn asked, "I could not hear you."

"Two years," Robin spoke a little louder this time, biting his lip as Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Wonder Woman, even the Flash looked at him. He felt heat rush to his cheeks and glared at J'onn, "Is it that bad to you?"

"This is not a game," J'onn replied calmly, "I believe Flash wishes to know what your motivations are because he is concerned for your safety. As am I for that matter. We do not wish for you to be harmed in any way life-threatening."

"Then quit worrying about it," Robin snapped as he become more and more uncomfortable, "I didn't just spend two years learning how to punch or kick, you know. There was also hacking, learning to escape all kinds of traps, and obviously detective work stuff."

“Are you at a satisfactory level of skill? Is this considered normal behavior for children on Earth?”

“No.” Robin reluctantly answered.

"Perhaps you should reconsider this type of work for the time being," J'onn responded before flying off, "I do not wish to offend you in any way, but...we cannot allow…how you say ‘rookies’ to endanger themselves."

Robin felt his face burn again until he heard Diana call out, "That's not fair. I only started a few months before Robin."

"That was different," Green Lantern replied as he made his way past the young boy, "You showed us how well you can fight. Plus, it's hard to argue with an Amazon warrior."

"You don't need to remind us," Flash chuckled as he passed Robin as well, "I haven't forgotten the last time I got on her bad side."

“Still have the scar to prove it, Red?” Hawkgirl asked.

“You know I do.”

Robin felt like he was standing on top of the Gotham Police Department again, with the ruffled Commissioner Gordon looking like he was going to have a heart attack, and how he felt that no one was impressed with the idea of Batman having a sidekick. 

Not a partner, the "s" word! 

He just showed these guys not even an hour ago, that he could hold his own and they're still worried about Robin's safety? When he finally reached the conference room, he saw that all of the seats were filled up. All seven. Just seven. Right as he noticed this, Batman came into his view.

"Green Lantern insists you wait out here," the Dark Knight said blankly, "League members only, I'm afraid." 

Robin flinched when he felt a heavy hand be placed on his shoulder.

“It’ll be better if they only have me as a target.” Batman added softly.

And with that, he closed the door on Robin's face. The young hero clenched his fist and winced as pain shot up again. He leaned against the door and did his best to hear what was going on.

"Any reason we're meeting?" He heard Hawkgirl ask.

"The reason for this meeting," Batman began slowly, "Is to introduce a new member to the Justice League."

"Great," Flash must be smiling right now, "So who's joining us? Aquaman?"

"No." Batman answered.

"Good," Flash replied, "Because Aquaman-"

"Don't finish that," Green Lantern said in what seems to be a warning voice.

"Who is it?" John- no wait, J'onn asked.

"Green Arrow?" Flash suggested.

"No." Batman repeated.

"Your mother?" Flash must be smirking right now.

"Shut up!" Batman was obviously glaring at the Speedster right now.

"Then who is it?" J'onn asked, his suspicions must already be making the answer seem obvious.

"I think I know where this is going," Hawkgirl’s voice could barely be heard.

Robin could almost hear a pin drop after Batman said, "Why do you think I brought Robin here?"


	4. Chapter 3: Doubt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will confess that I find this to be one of my weakest chapters ever written. I create it so long ago when I first started off writing, I wasn't sure how to fix it properly. Characters weren't written that well and I'm still having trouble. If I'm doing something right with characterization in regards to Green Lantern, Superman, etc., please comment after reading. If not, then still comment, I need some varying observations to see what to fix.

"A hero is someone who, in spite of weakness, doubt or not always knowing the answers, goes ahead and overcomes anyways."

Christopher Reeve.

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It was clear to Robin that everyone in the room was silent when Batman said these words; Flash didn't seem to make any attempt to catch the Bat's bluff on the statement.

He must know that the Dark Knight was serious about what he had just said. Robin slid the door open just a crack to see Hawkgirl's face. It looked like she was considering the choices of either laughing or scowling; her face was all scrunched up like she just ate a lemon whole. It was kind of funny and horrifying at the same time.

Superman had his hands covering his face with shame or embarrassment, Robin couldn't tell. The Martian guy looked the most composed next to Diana, their expressions hardly changing at all. But there was something in the man's eyes that reminded Robin of Superman, the way they seem to be going glossed over like he was trying to block something out.

So that must mean that the Martian guy is obviously against this. Great.

John was obviously going to be the first to express disapproval, his mouth widening with each passing moment.

Robin predicted that this would happen, it was no different than last week when he was introduced to Commissioner Gordon. Words like "child endangerment" and "reckless" and even "stupid" were thrown carelessly at the boy. Not by Gordon of course; he tried to say things in a less offensive manner unlike Bullock, who just didn't know when to shut up.

Even after taking down most of Batman's rogues in one night alone didn't do much to gain the Gotham PD's trust. But even Batman reminded him later that it was dumb luck and nothing else, how he kept on bringing up what he did wrong. He left his left side open, that kick was too slow, blah blah blah. It seems like no matter how many hoops you go through, adults keep telling you that it's not good enough. Robin merely took a deep breath, closed his eyes and waited for the explosion to happen.

Three...

Two...

One.

"Are you insane?" Green Lantern was the first to speak, "It's one thing to have a sidekick-"

"Partner," Robin muttered under his breath. Both he and Batman made it clear to each other as well as to Commissioner Gordon that they were equals on the field, and yet people were still calling him the "s" word. Even the villains were treating him like a minor threat.

"-it's another thing to just bring him here and make us induct him into the League-"

"He's not making you do anything!" Robin cried indignantly, forgetting that he wasn't even supposed to be listening, but also unwilling to let the Marine say these things about his own mentor as if he was letting Robin do this willingly. He didn't even realize that he had entered into the conference room until he felt Batman's gaze burning into his head.

Rahat.

It was so hard convincing Gordon in the first place. All eyes were officially on him now but Robin continued bravely, stepping deeper into the room as he spoke, "Don't take Batman's words so seriously, sometimes he doesn't know when to either speak or shut up...no offense, by the way Bats."

He turned to face Batman with a look of regret, expecting to see a scowl on his mentor's face; only seeing his mentor shrug slightly in agreement to his protege's words. But Robin sensed that Batman felt rather offended by that statement, even he couldn't get away with saying that and not expect repercussions afterwards.

"Then precisely why are you here in the first place?" J'onn asked calmly. Robin went red, he could practically feel the Martian trying to pry into his mind. Why was he here other than the obvious fact that Batman wanted him to join this group? Robin looked at Superman, silently begging for help from his friend; unfortunately, Superman shook his head as a reply. The boy sighed, understanding that the Man of Steel wouldn't be able to help at all at this point.

"Whatever you feel is the right answer, don't be afraid to say it to us," Diana spoke gently. Robin couldn't bear to look at the Amazon straight in the eyes, feeling as if all words would fail him now. He heard someone cough and looked up to see the Flash giving an encouraging smile. It somehow made his chest loosen up the tiniest bit.

Robin took a deep breath again and spoke, "We just wanted to talk to you guys about the possibility of me joining the League. And it would be just like Batman's position, only part-time. So you wouldn't really be seeing that much of me overall. So what's the real problem?"

"You just started a week ago!" Everyone turned to Superman this time. Robin heard Batman say something that would have had Alfred shoving a bar of soap up his mouth, clearly annoyed that the Man of Steel would give his two cents about this.

"That's all the more reason for why you can't join us, kid," J'onn - just call him Green Lantern- pointed out, looking almost triumphant. "You're too young and don't have enough experience in the field."

That wasn't true! Robin has had plenty of experience before this day...there's just a big gap around the time between his time on patrol last week and...his last mission prior to last week. People come out of retirement all of the time; so what? Plus, he's been training a lot, most of it wasn't easy to do. Just because he officially began again last week doesn't make him a weakling!

"You do realize that I just kicked your butts not so long ago, right?" Robin countered. Now it was his turn to smile again. The Flash blushed at the recent memory, too proud or too ashamed to admit it out loud. Green Lantern on the other hand...

"You just caught us off guard. Its not all about luck, kid. You wouldn't last five minutes with the likes the Joker."

"I just kicked his butt last week too, in case you missed the news," Robin pointed out, "Superman even has the page on the wall in his room here!"

"He does?!" Flash turned to the Man of Steel for an answer. All he got was a subtle nod from the Kryptonian who turned to him and asked,

"How did you know about that?"

"I saw it," Robin replied in an obvious tone, "Duuuh!"

"And then there's the attitude-," Green Lantern continued before Robin interrupted him again.

"Just give me a chance to prove I can handle this," Robin pleaded, "Give me a test, have me take on a tough villain, anything!"

As Green Lantern opened his mouth to speak, the lights in the room began flashing red while an annoying beeping sound made itself known every other second, almost like a large alarm clock. Robin watched as the Dark Knight headed over to the computer, that everlasting scowl of his plastered onto his face once more. Several seconds later, the monitor screen showed a gray, bulky man busting through a wall carrying two large bags with him, with someone that looked like he was covered in scales...Killer Croc! That reptilian man was coming up behind the gray bulk of muscle. Several police officers came into view and started shooting at...whatever it was, but he merely walks through without flinching. He then starts swatting down the officers when he was close enough. The fight was over in a matter of seconds, the villains only leaving unconscious cops and a trail of money behind them.

"Solomon Grundy," Batman growled to himself. Robin looked at him with confusion.

"You talking about the nursery rhyme, boss?" Robin asked his mentor. Batman just stared at him. "You know: 'Solomon Grundy, born on a Monday-'"

Batman shook his head. "No. This monster is much different. He can't be killed and has enough strength to rival Superman."

"I'd like to see him try," Robin snorted, "You're comparing some zombie-thing with a guy that can run faster than a bullet train and has more power than a locomotive!"

"And the subtlety of one too." He heard Flash mutter quietly.

"Grundy has exactly that kind of strength," Batman glared at the young hero, "There are some things that even Superman can't beat."

"Hello?" The Man of Steel called out to the Dynamic Duo, "I'm right here. And can hear every word you're saying!"

"Then I won't have to repeat myself," the Dark Knight started heading towards the door, "Robin, we're leaving. Looks like you'll have your chance after all."

The boy smiled with utter glee while Batman addressed the others, "He's in Gotham right now. We know the city better than you, so it's best to follow our lead. Meet us at the Police Station before confronting Grundy. You take the Javelin-7, Robin and I will take the Batplane." And with that, the Dark Knight marched out of the room with Robin following close by.

When the door closed behind them, Green Lantern muttered, "Batmobile, Batarangs, Batplane, what's with naming everything he owns after himself!?"

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The ride to Gotham took no more than thirty minutes, but it seemed a lot longer to Robin. Especially when the Dark Knight was constantly trying to talk to you about everything that was done wrong.

"You were supposed to wait outside," Batman growled, his face facing forward as he drove. And then the criticisms started coming forth...

Robin refuted, "I didn't hear you say not to eavesdrop-"

"How do you expect the League to trust you when you can't even follow orders?" Batman continued as if he didn't hear the young hero's response.

"Trust is a two-way street, in case you didn't notice! I need to know that I can trust them too," Robin retorted, "Plus, I was supposed to be there with you when you dropped the bomb on them."

Batman refused to look Robin's way, much like an irritated parent arguing in circles with their child and still kept talking, "The League views you as an incompetent-"

"What!?"

"-hero that's going to get himself killed-"

"I did NOT hear anyone say that about me!" Robin nearly shouted, "All I got was that they thought I was inexperienced, not...incompetent!" He nearly spat out that last word.

Batman hesitated for a few moments, his voice now a little softer when he spoke again, "That was the wrong word to say-"

"Wait a minute," Robin replied coldly as the truth dawned on him. "You think that I'm still not ready! After two years, you still doubt me."

"That isn't what I-"

"I can read between the lines better than you can, Bruce." Satisfied with breaking Rule #4 in the 'handbook,' Robin out of his window as a sign that he was done talking.

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The Dark Knight managed to see his partner's eyes just briefly before they turned away. But that was all he needed to see. There was so much hurt in them already. So much hurt in them still. He could still hear the private conversation that he had with Superman not even half an hour ago...

'I swear on my life that I will keep Robin safe from any possible danger that I can. As both his mentor and as his father.'

'You better, Bruce. Or sooner or later you won't be either any longer.'

The promise to protect Robin with his life as his mentor and parent. One that he was already failing within ten minutes of making.

"You're not incompetent," Batman finally replied softly, "That was the wrong thing to say."

Robin ignored his mentor and tried to focus on the window as they entered the Earth's third layer of atmosphere. How dare he call Robin incompetent! He worked so hard for this day!

"You're strong," the Dark Knight continued in an even softer tone that Robin could barely hear now, "Stronger than anyone else I ever met in my life. I actually wish that I was there to see you take on the others like that to be honest."

Robin muttered something incomprehensible under his breath. But Batman already had an idea of what it was.

"You never say that."

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The rest of the plane ride went along in very awkward silence. When they finally reached Gotham, Robin almost jumped when he felt Batman place a gentle hand on his shoulders before either one could get out of the plane. He heard the Dark Knight whisper gently into his ear,

"Don't worry about impressing the League. Just focus on getting the job done that way you usually do, okay?"

Robin only nodded. Compared to the ship ride, getting to the GCPD building was almost a blur to him. The only thing he focused on was the bat-shaped signal in the night sky. When he saw the rest of the League already waiting with Gordon, his stomach did a somersault. Great, he thought, Now I can embarrass myself in front on the Comish too!

Gordon groaned when he saw the Dark Knight come into view, "The next time you plan on bringing your friends with you, let an old man know in advance, alright?"

"Can't make any promises," Batman replied.

"Typical response," the Commissioner replied, "Thought I'd give you the heads up on the Grundy-Croc incident."

"What's the situation?" Green Lantern asked, "Hostages? Demands?"

"We...lost them," Gordon sighed with defeat.

"How can you lose sight of people like them?" Hawkgirl demanded, "They're at least ten feet tall. They stand out."

"So do the rest of the freaks in this town." A portly man walked in from the shadows. Robin felt a knot in his stomach when he saw who it was. Wearing a brown trench coat and matching hat, Detective Harvey Bullock placed a toothpick in his mouth and examined the sight among him. At least he wasn't stuffing his face with a hamburger like last time...

It was clear from Bullock's statement that he wasn't just talking about the ones who were in Gotham on a daily basis, he was looking upon the Justice League as if they were unwanted vermin that needed to be exterminated. Robin was tempted to slug that dumb pork-chop in the gut but resisted. He clenched his fists just to satisfy his anger, only to hide a wince as pain shot up his injured hand again. Flash looked his way with a concerned expression, but he didn't say a thing to the young hero.

"Bullock, this is not the time," Gordon glared a warning towards the detective, "So far, we've been getting reports of a giant, muscular man dressed in rags causing a commotion near the East End, while sightings of Killer Croc have yet to be confirmed."

"In other words?" Flash looked around, trying to find someone who could give an answer.

"The duo split up and that makes our job a lot harder," Robin sighed, "For all we know, Croc could be hiding in the sewers right now. It's like a maze in there!"

"Tell me something I don't know, Bird Boy," Bullock snorted.

"Acting like a crocodile automatically makes him smarter than you!"

"I don't see doing anything about it!"

"How about you go down to the sewers yourself?!" Robin threw back the insult, "Since you seem so determined to find Croc you big-"

Batman covered his partner's mouth before he said anything else.

"Don't dig yourself deeper," he hissed into Robin's ear.

"Then our best chance is to go after Grundy first," Superman decided, "He loves destruction, so that'll make our job easier."

"Easier for you but not the tax payers!" Bullock objected.

"Would you rather we just stand by and do nothing?" Hawkgirl raised an eyebrow at the detective, it was clear by her tone that she was tempted to do just that. Bullock simply grumbled and focused on his toothpick.

"Greed is another thing to look out for," Batman pointed out, "As dull as he is, Grundy still has the same lust for gold like any other crook in Gotham. Maybe more"

"Wait a sec!" Bullock was flustered now, almost coming off as a victim seeking closure. "What 'bout Croc?! Aren't you goin' after him?"

"He's not a concern right now," Superman replied calmly. "But Grundy is. If we go into the sewers to search for Croc, we might as well let innocent civilians get hurt."

"Some Justice League you are!" Bullock shouted as the League proceeded to fly or dash away. Robin was the last one to leave, looking back to see Gordon mouthing the words, 'Good luck,' his way. His stomach settled a little, but not a whole lot.

"So what's that guy's problem?" Flash asked Batman as they reached the ground.

"Croc tried framing Bullock for a crime a couple years back," the Dark Knight replied, "Bullock was cleared, but he never got over it."

"Our best chance to find Grundy is to split up," Superman looked everyone in the eye as he said this, "J'onn, you're with me. We'll check the East End to see if he's still there. Diana, John-"

"I thought John was going with you," Robin blurted out.

"I'm J'onn," Martian Manhunter corrected.

"He's talking about me," Green Lantern frowned at the young hero.

"I realize that now." Robin retorted dryly.

"-Green Lantern and Hawkgirl will go with Diana and check the North End," Superman continued, hoping to subvert another argument. "That leaves Flash, Batman and Robin to check the West End in case Grundy heads there."

"Take these," Batman handed out small, black squares to J'onn, Hawkgirl, and Green Lantern. "They're maps of Gotham. Holographic. Since most of you don't know Gotham that well, it's better to be safe than sorry. And remember, if you spot Grundy, contact back-up immediately. Do not engage and stay on your guard!"

Robin sensed that it was aimed more towards him than the others, however, considering how Batman seemed to be looking at his partner more than the League members. As he watched the heroes fly off into different directions, Robin couldn't help but think of the word 'Incompetent' when he looked at a reflection of himself in a glass window next to him. He tried to distance himself from those worries as he began to leap from building to building, travelling "Batman-style" as Alfred would call it. But each leap, each somersault, each grapple-swing only brought more dread and worry to Robin's mind. What if he did mess up? What if more people got hurt because of him?

"You know, maybe this could be a chance to get to know each other better?" Flash suggested as he dashed underneath the two heroes, his communicator in hand...or ear, Robin couldn't tell from this height.

"Now's not the time," Robin huffed, not in the talking mode. "We're on a mission."

"I'll get the wheels rolling," Flash replied, obviously ignoring the boy's objections, "My favorite color's red. What's yours?"

"So how do we know when we've found this Grundy guy?" Robin asked his mentor as they landed on another rooftop, trying to avoid answering the Speedster's question.

BOOM!

To stop himself from breaking any bones as he landed on a rooftop, Robin had to fire his grappling hook onto a lamp post and swing off of it before landing onto the another building and doing a somersault. Flash dashed up to them and stared at the Dynamic Duo in concern.

"We found him," Batman replied blankly, clearly as both a joke and an answer.

"What's going on?" The Speedster demanded. As an answer, Robin pointed to the mound of smoke piling up in the air a short distance away. Flash watched as people began running in the opposite direction they were heading. Car horns and sounds of rubble falling confirmed the trio's suspicions that their target was nearby.

Out of impulse, Flash dashed ahead of his comrades to confront the beast. Robin tried following him, but Batman grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.

"Stay close," the Dark Knight ordered.

No sooner had he finished his sentence did the Flash come flying back, bouncing off of the pavement before hitting a wall and leaving him covered with scrapes.

"Well what do you know?" Robin observed, grinning weakly. "He is the fastest man alive. No one could have lost that soon, right?"

"Shut up, Robin," Flash grumbled weakly, "Hey Bats, I could use some help here."

But before Batman could answer this, the ground started shaking as the large zombie known as Solomon Grundy came charging forth like a rhino. Gordon wasn't exaggerating when he described the monster. White as chalk and with more muscles than the Man of Steel himself. His hands alone were almost the size of small windows. And the clothes on his skin were in tatters; the shirt was too small to fit and looked like it was used for many years, the pants only reached down to Grundy's knees and were stretched tight, and it was obvious that no shoe size would ever fit Grundy's feet.

Batman jumped off the roof and glided to the ground. No sooner had he touched the concrete did he throw a batarang at the beast, only for Grundy to knock it aside like it was a mere fly in his face. But when the projectile was ten feet away from the monster, it exploded and pushed Solomon towards the Dark Knight. Robin noticed the small hole where the batarang had landed and glared at his mentor.

"What happened to the 'No Killing' rule?" Robin demanded as he made his way towards Batman, pulling out his bo staff in the process.

"There was no one nearby and Grundy is already dead," Batman countered as he literally dragged his protege away from Grundy as he charged at them, with the Flash following close by.

"Yeah, but it doesn't make it right!" Robin countered fiercely.

"You know, I really hate to interrupt the annual dialogue between two partners, but look out!" Flash cried out as a car was tossed into the air and headed towards them. Although they dodged the vehicle, the explosion that followed knocked everyone off of their feet.

Robin was the least harmed and got up quickly. He was about to throw one of his projectiles at the zombie when Batman called out,

"Do not engage! Call the others and fall back."

"But he's getting awa-"

"I don't care! Call for backup and keep your distance from Grundy," Batman interjected harshly.

Robin ignored this and threw one of his weird batarangs at the creature's back. Grundy didn't stop marching off, so Robin tried throwing a fallen brick next to his feet, hoping to attract the monster. As the chunk of rock bounced off Grundy's head, Robin smirked when the creature turned around. He started frowning again when Grundy roared and charged towards Robin. He kept on throwing more and more of his projectiles at the thing, none of them doing any noticeable damage to the creature. In desperation, Robin pulled out his bo staff and charged at the monster. He jumped like a frog and brought his weapon down on the creature. He felt his staff go BOING! as it collided with the creature's head. Just as Robin reached the ground-

WHAM!

He felt the wind cut through him like a knife before hitting the concrete, bouncing a few times. Now he was seeing triples of everything, especially three Grundys that looked more agitated then harmed. Robin stood up slowly and shook his head, ignoring the pain forming in his chest now. He paused, taking a deep breath and finding that there was no wincing from the effort. He pat the breast of his uniform, now questioning if the armor he was wearing really was made of Kevlar.

"Grundy no like boy," the zombie growled.

"Boy no like Grundy!" Robin retorted weakly.

"Stop mimicking Grundy!" Grundy seemed to whine, if a lighter growl was considered a whine at all. Robin found encouragement in that remark and continued, making a pose similar to what he saw the Flash do earlier.

"Imitation's the most sincere form of flattery." The young hero sneered before he started dashing at the bulk of muscle.

"Me no flattered!" Grundy bellowed before charging at his opponent.

Right before the two collided with one another, Robin leaped up into the air and whacked Grundy over the head with his staff. Robin heard the creature groan loudly, confidant that he did some damage this time. Robin clutched his chest as he landed, pain blossoming but not as intense the pain in his hand.

He heard people screaming and turned to see Grundy now running like a drunk towards Batman and Flash now, both still trying to get up! It was happening too fast, Robin wouldn't be able to stop Grundy in time. Everything seemed to slow down, going to frame-by-frame. Without even thinking, Robin started running towards Grundy, reaching for his utility belt for the grappling hook that he knew wouldn't be able to help in time.

He failed to be there for Batman...

He never got to apologize to Flash for his last comment towards him...

They were both going to die right now and it would be all of Robin's fault!

Somewhere in the distance, he thought he heard a rope snap-

Right before the beast could reach the fallen heroes, a green bubble surrounded him, trapping him in place. The momentum failed to work as Green Lantern's ring proved too strong for Grundy to deal with, the bulk bouncing against the green barrier and hit the ground. The zombie bashed at his prison in vain, trying to break out of it. Diana and Hawkgirl then flew in and brought the Dark Knight and Speedster to their feet, letting them lean on their shoulders while they recovered. Superman came in while J'onn went towards Grundy. The Martian's eyes glowed red for a few moments before the zombie groaned and collapsed to the ground once more.

"He is incapacitated now," J'onn turned to face Superman.

"Good," the Man of Steel nodded, "We should bring him into custody now. Hawkgirl, Diana. You two keep an eye on Flash and Batman, make sure nothing happens to them. Alright?"

"Understood, Superman," Diana nodded.

As soon as the Krptonian and Martian flew off with an unconscious Grundy, flashing lights blinded Robin while voices popped up from every corner.

"Batman, is that your new sidekick?"

"Was the fight we just witnessed between the boy and Grundy just a demonstration of his abilities?"

"Do you believe that this was orchestrated from the start?"

"Is the Justice League allowing children into their group too?"

"Flash, are you making your place in Gotham now?"

"Where are Superman and that Martian Man taking Solomon Grundy?"

"Wonder Woman! What's with that outfit you're wearing? Are modest clothing not good enough for you?"

Diana made to move towards the man who asked this question, but Flash placed an arm in front of her.

"Don't listen to these idiots," Flash whispered, "They'll say anything to get a reaction from us."

While reporters surrounded the other heroes, Robin knew that he was in trouble, big time. He wanted to sink into the shadows but Batman kept a firm grip on his shoulders. They still had to find Croc first, that is unless Batman didn't fire Robin first...

"Green Lantern, is it true that you and Flash are in a relationship?"

"No comment," Green Lantern replied, though his face started to glow red.

Robin tried tuning everything out, but he could practically feel the others glaring at him with hostility as if this whole commotion was his fault. Reporters were always heartless. Reporters were hardly honest. Reporters wouldn't care whether or not the boy they were stalking already had too much to handle at the moment. At least in Gotham.

He wasn't a sidekick...

"Batman, witnesses claim to have seen you doing questionable activities with your sidekick. Can you confirm this?"

He wasn't 'that' either!

Finally having enough, Robin broke free of Batman's grip and ran through the crowd, taking small pleasure in shoving reporters to the ground rather roughly. Batman looked on with shock before crying out,

"Robin!"

**Author's Note:**

> So there you have it, the Justice League meets Robin under less than favorable circumstances (i.e. being attacked by a mini-ninja). Let's hope that changes in the next chapter. Please comment down below, positive and negative criticisms help me improve my writing.


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